Alert: NOAA Predicts Solar Storm to Impact Earth Today
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a warning that Earth will experience a G1-class geomagnetic storm today, July 14. This solar storm is a result of a coronal mass ejection (CME) cloud that was released from the Sun during a solar flare eruption on July 11. Researchers are closely monitoring the situation as there is concern that solar winds could intensify the conditions and increase the strength of the solar storm.
What is a solar storm?
According to NASA, solar storms are the end point of all solar activity affecting the Earth. When the strong electromagnetic fields released by solar flares or CMEs reach our planet, its magnetic fields collide with Earth’s magnetic fields, and as a result, radiation and heat in the upper atmosphere increase sharply. Magnetic fields also affect visible light at Earth’s higher latitudes and can cause the aurora borealis.
NOAA’s solar storm forecast for today
According to a SpaceWeather.com report, “NOAA forecasters say small G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible on July 14, when a CME is expected to hit Earth’s magnetic field. SOHO coronagraphs saw an oblique halo leaving the Sun on July 11.
The threat of a solar storm
Worryingly, there is a massive sunspot that will face the earth in a few days. Sunspot AR3372 exploded 8 times yesterday, July 13, causing a powerful solar flare that caused radio blackouts across the planet.
When it comes into view of Earth, it can cause more solar flares. If CME clouds are released, they are completely geopotent. Major solar storms are possible during this time.
Such a massive solar storm can damage satellites, affect mobile networks and Internet connectivity, and cause power grid failure. Although radiation does not directly affect people in terms of health, disruptions to emergency services and power outages in important places such as hospitals can still be quite destructive to technology-based infrastructure.
NOAA GOES-16 Satellite Role in Solar Storm
GOES-16, formerly known as GOES-R before it reached geostationary orbit, is the first of the GOES-R geostationary operational environmental satellites operated by NASA and NOAA. It was launched on November 19, 2016 and became operational on December 18, 2017. GOES-16 is located in geostationary orbit over the Atlantic Ocean and provides continuous images and atmospheric measurements of the Earth’s Western Hemisphere. It also has a lightning mapper that can detect both cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning. GOES-16 is an important tool for weather forecasting, climate monitoring and space weather forecasting.
